Warning for Consumers Ordering Free Credit Reports Online

Beware of e-mails, banner ads, pop-up and pop-under Internet ads, and telemarketing calls that promise to obtain your "free annual credit report" on your behalf. In particular, e-mail messages or internet ads claiming to be from www.annualcreditreport.com ARE LIKELY TO BE FRAUDS SEEKING TO TRICK CONSUMERS INTO SHARING THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND, MOST LIKELY, BECOMING VICTIMS OF ID THEFT. Forward scam e-mails to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

Consumers thinking about ordering their free annual credit report online should proceed WITH CAUTION and be aware of possible risks.

• Do NOT order credit reports using a computer that is accessible to the public unless you are CERTAIN that adequate safeguards exist to prevent:
  
  "Shoulder surfing" – people watching or even photographing the information you enter on a computer in a public place;
  
  Storage of your sensitive information on the computer, even if only temporarily.
  
  
• Your right to free credit reports does NOT require you to purchase or subscribe to any services. While you may decide to do so, you are not required to spend any money to exercise your right to a free credit report.
  
  
• Carefully type in the address of the web site, click on the link above, or copy and paste the address exactly as set forth in this Consumer Alert.
  
  Even one mistyped letter could take you to a fraudulent web site that looks and feels like a place to order credit reports but in fact has been set up by ID thieves to harvest your information.
  
  Other sites with similar names exist and may try to sell you credit monitoring services. At least one of these is operated by Experian and offers a "free" credit report - IF you sign up for a fee-based service. That page does not advise consumers of their right to a free credit report without subscribing to a service or provide a link to www.annualcreditreport.com.
  
  
• The credit reporting agencies do not provide any guarantees in connection with your use of their website. You may find the following "small print" disclaimer:
  
  "The services offered on this web site are provided 'as is', with no warranties of any kind. If you are not comfortable using this web site, you have the option to request your free annual credit reports through the telephone and mail request methods."